Loose-leaf folder



Patented June 9, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE EARL M. BUCKLANII'OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR TO ROCKWELL-BARNES COM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS LOOSE-LEAF FOLDER Application filed December 1, 1930. Serial No. 499,204.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved loose-leaf folder which will provide a superior holding action on the paper which is secured thereby, and which at the same time is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to assemble.

These and other objects, as will hereinafter appear, are accomplished by this invention which is fully described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a looseleaf folder embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial enlarged transverse section through the same showing papers secured therein;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective of the metal binding member showing one of the tongues in operating position when used in a binder;

Fig. 4 is a similar figure showing the tongues split longitudinally;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing still another form of metal member;

Fig. 6 is a front inside elevation showing a plurality of separate metal binding members secured in place by a strip inside the cover of the folder;

Fig. 7 is a further modification of Fig. 6 showing T-shaped metal binding members;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective of one of the T-shaped binding members of Fig,

7 and Fig. 9 is a similar view of one of the U- shaped metal binding members of Fig. 6.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive comprises a cover 10, preferably made of paper or the like, and previously creased along lines 11 and 12 so as to make the cover bend freely along these lines. Within the cover is secured a sheet metal strip 13 having a series of laterally extending tongues 14:, which are adapted to pass through holes 15 in a flexible strip 16 of paper or the like, and which is secured to the inside of the cover by an adhesive so as to secure the metal member 13 to the inside of the cover. The paper strip 16 is also creased along bend lines 17 so as to make it readily foldable, and has a series of openings 18 substantially opposite the holes 15. Thus it will be seen that when the tongues are bent upwardly at right angles as at 1 1: (Figs. 2 and 3) to the body of the member, the tongue can be passed through a series of sheets A, through its registering opening 18, and then bent over as at 14 so as to prevent its withdrawal from the opening 18.

It will be noted, however, that during shipment and storage and until the folder is put in use the metal member lies substantially flat, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the folder, as a whole, occupies relatively little space. Each of the tongues, or as many of them as may be desired, may thus be bent up and passed through the paper and then bent either forward or backward after passing through the opening 18. For this purpose the sheets A are usually provided with punched holes which register with either two or three of the five openings shown in Fig. 1. In this case the tongues which register therewith are bent up and passed through these openings.

In this connection it will be noted that the tongues present afiat surface to the holes A in the paper so that they present a maximum bearing surface to the paper, thereby preventing the tendency for these tongues to cut through the paper when pre sented in an edgewise fashion, as has been done heretofore.

In Fig. 4 is shown a modified form ofthe invention in which the tongues are provided with a longitudinal slit 14 so as to divide these tongues into two half tongues 1 1 and 14 which may be bent in opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 4, after they have been passed through the paper. Fig. 5 shows a modification of the sheet metal strip or member 13 in which the tongues 14? are struck longitudinally from along one edge of the strip, and then bent up and folded over along a 45 bent line so as to bring them into a position at 90 to the body of the strip. This strip is then inserted and tongues 149 are used in the same way as the tongues 14 of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 6 is shown still a further modification of the invention in which the one long metal member is replaced by a series of members 19 and 20 which are inserted separately through the holes 15 in the paper strip 16. The member 19 is preferably made from a straight narrow strip which is bent over along 45 bend lines so as to provide lateral tongues 19 The T-shaped member 20 has only a single tongue 20. These tongues are passed through the holes 15 from the strip 16, and then the lower half of this strip is cemented or glued to the cover 10 as before to retain these metal members in place.

If desired, one of the members 20 may be used in each of the holes 15 of the paper strip 16", as shown in Fig. 7.

lVhile I have shown and described but a few embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. hanges, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention as'disclosed by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A metal member for use in loose-leaf folders comprising an elongated body, a substantially fiat tongue, extending laterally therefrom, said tongue being longitudinally slitted and adapted to be bent up perpendicularly to said body with the slotted face of the tongue extending parallel to the axis of the body.

2. A metal member for use in loose-leaf folders comprising an elongated body, tongues cut longitudinally from said body and bent thereacross to extend at right angles thereto, said tongues being adapted to be bent up perpendicularly to said body with a face of each tongue extending parallel to the axis of the body.

3. A metal member for use in loose-leaf folders comprising an elongated body, a tongue forming a portion of said body andbent thereacross to lie at right angles thereto, said tongue being adapted to be bent up perpendicularly to said body with a face of the tongue extending parallel to the axis of the body.

4. A folder adapted to contain'loose leaves, comprising a member folded along median lines to provide connected cover portions, a plurality of substantially flat bendable metal tongues secured to said member adjacent one median fold line so as to lie parallel to one of the cover portions, said tongues being adapted to be bent up perpendicularly to said cover portion with their substantially flat faces extended parallel to said median fold line.

5. 'Adevice of the class described compris- 6. A device of the. class described comprising a member adapted to contain loose leaves, said member being folded along median lines to form a back and cover members, a metal member secured to one cover member adjacent one side of the back, and having laterally extending tongues, a flexible strip having one edge secured to said cover member over said metal member and having a plurality of openings adjacent its free edge, said tongues being adapted to be bent up from said cover portion and through the openings in said flexible strip and leaves to be carried thereby and having their terminal portions bent to extend in a direction perpendicular to the back and parallel to said cover.

EARL M. BUCKLAND. 

